The UPSC civil services mains exam is due to begin on the 28th of September 2018. Candidates who have cleared the UPSC prelims must now be engrossed in their mains preparation. If the IAS prelims was a tough nut to crack, the mains is an even harder one! But with strategic preparation and unwavering focus, it is indeed possible to clear the UPSC mains with flying colors. Apart from the huge UPSC syllabus, what makes the IAS exam seem difficult is the level of competition involved. The lure of a career in the civil services is so great that lakhs of candidates take the exam every year. However, less than 1% of them make the cut in the end. Even though the competition is lesser in the mains compared to the prelims, it is by no means a small number. In this article, we bring you the details of the competition levels candidates will face when they take the mains in October this year.

2017 UPSC Numbers

Number of candidates who had applied for the 2017 UPSC prelims exam: 10 lakhs (Approx.)

Number of candidates who had appeared for the 2017 USPC prelims exam: 5 lakhs (Approx.)

Number of candidates who qualified for the 2017 UPSC mains exam: 13,366

Number of candidates who have cleared the 2017 UPSC mains exam: 2568

Number of vacancies in 2017: 980

Generally, the UPSC shortlists 2 candidates for every vacancy for the UPSC personality test/interview round. That means, this year, around 1960 candidates can expect the interview summons. This is the competition that you will face. More than 13000 candidates for less than 2000 seats! Here is an answer to the question “How many candidates appeared in UPSC prelims 2017?”.

Take a look at the past years’ record in the UPSC civil services exam.

Year

No. of candidates who applied for Prelims

No. of candidates who appeared for Prelims

No. of candidates who appeared for Mains

No. of candidates who appeared for the interview

No. of candidates who got selected

2016

11.36 lakhs

5 lakhs

15,452

2,961

1,099

2015

9,45,908

4,65,882

15,008

2,797

1,078

2014

9,47,428

4,46,623

16,286

3,308

1,236

2013

7,76,604

3,24,279

14,178

3,001

1,122

2012

5,50,080

2,71,442

12,190

2,674

998

2011

4,99,120

2,43,236

11,237

2,415

999

2010

5,47,698

2,69,036

11,865

2,589

965

As you can see, a tiny fraction of the people who appear for the UPSC civil services prelims exam find their names in the final rank list released by the UPSC at the end of the whole process. This is not meant to dishearten you. Let it work like a motivator and propel you towards your dream destination.

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough!”

Nothing is unassailable. With the right tools and the right attitude, you can reach your goal.